Cerberus Daily News - June 2013
For canon information, see the Mass Effect Wiki page for Cerberus Daily News. This page is for CDN members' non-canon additions. The following stories contributed by Cerberus Daily News forum members were published on the CDN newsfeed during June 2013. See the main Cerberus Daily News page for current updates. June 2013 – Week One 06/01/13 - Independent Group Calls For Preservation of Rightful Line “Sovereignty for the British Islanders” was the rallying cry for salarian/human interest group United MotherHood, which today announced its intention to support Dame Elizabeth Frances Grey of Shanxi in her mission to have the human SATAE recognise her claim to the throne of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. A nation based on Earth’s British Isles and now, like all nations of the planet, legally defunct, the Kingdom made recent headlines with the announcement that by long-established tradition, Dame Grey was now the rightful heir to its traditional monarchy. United MotherHood, heretofore unaffiliated with Dame Grey or with the official leadership of the Salarian Union, offered a statement of support, with Spokeswoman Falassai Linsorrl explaining that “it is precisely in times of upheaval and loss that the structure of traditional culture must be respected. We urge SATAE to consider its responsibilities to upholding their historic lineages in the face of so much destruction”. June 2013 – Week Two 06/03/13 - Adjutant’s Immigration Proposal Draws Fire from Public Cuaran Fal, Aroch Post An Aroch Ward adjutant attracted criticism from constituents yesterday for an immigration and traffic proposal he submitted as a means of controlling the Citadel’s spiraling crime rate. Adjutant Torin Jaleon proposed an Earth-Citadel Immigration Act yesterday, which intends to place additional restrictions on travel and immigration between the Citadel and Earth. The action includes increased background checks for travellers, increased funding to C-Sec’s Customs department to prevent the smuggling of contraband and other illegal materials, and tariffs for trade between Citadel and Earth-based businesses. “Since the Citadel’s relocation to Earth’s orbit, and in part thanks to our rather lax means of enforcing traffic and immigration to and from the planet, we have seen a crime rate on this station that is quite frankly inexcusable.” Jaleon said in his official press statement. “It is past time we started to put a handle on this.” Business owners have expressed concerns that Jaelon’s act, especially in regards to the proposed tariffs, will affect their livelihoods. Human constituents have also taken to the free-speech zones, accusing Jaleon of racial profiling. “He might as well just said ‘I think those stupid humans are the problem and we need to keep them out,’” said one protestor. “Least he’d be honest about it.” Jaelon has issued a statement in response to the protestors, stating that “my proposal is in no way intended to enforce racial profiling. The human residents of the Citadel are also victims of an out-of-control crime rate, and I intend to stand up for the rights and security of my constituents, regardless of race.” 06/05/13 - Merryweather III to Launch from Thessia via Talis Fia Trader's Journal If you asked an asari what came to mind when you said the word “Merryweather,” you'd certainly hear about exquisite fashion, soul-captivating sculptures and unsurpassed healing arts. It is, after all, what’s been associated with the millennia-long voyage of Thessian artisan ship Merryweather and her successors. The third ship to bear the name will leave her drydock above Thessia with a grand ceremony next week, captained by Matriarch Pella Varnas, who stood at the helm of the Merryweather II. The first Merryweather launched in 473 CE, Pella's grandmother as its captain. The ship sailed between Citadel worlds, establishing a reputation for expensive and exceptional luxury goods until the Krogan Rebellions wrecked the vessel in 704 CE while in transit between the Kite's Nest and Annos Basin regions. The second Merryweather launched in 793 CE after the Rebellions has subsided, this time with Varnas’ mother as its first captain. The artisan ship continued the tradition of the first vessel's crew, undergoing countless refits through the centuries, and finally serving as a hospital ship in the Reaper War before being crippled and scuttled. When asked if she’d picked a replacement for when she steps down, Varnas commented that "wandering the stars runs in my family's bloodline, if this tradition is any indication. My daughter will surely take up the helm when time gets the better of me, but that's still a century or two away!" 06/09/13 - Deep Space Station Completed Sana Calaris, The Cyan Sun Dilal System, MINOS WASTELAND - Today marks the completion of the Strata space station in Minos Wasteland. The station is expected to serve as a stopover for military patrols and deep space exploration missions as well as a watching point for local peace keeping forces. "We have seen a sharp increase in pirate activity not only in the MW cluster but all over the galaxy as well,” said Nulius Patikkan, director for the Strata Project. “Given Minos' valuable and strategic position in the new layout of the relay network, Strata station will be a great leap closer to pacification of the region.” As more systems from the Traverse and Terminus regions get connected to the network, Strata is expected to become a large trading and transportation hub as well, bringing in sizable revenues for Council species that have collaborated in the project. Stay tuned next week for the live broadcast of the opening ceremony and speech from councilor Sparatus! June 2013 – Week Three 06/11/13 - SIU Agent Found Dead Interstellar News Corp CARTEGENA - A body has been discovered in the orbit of Cartegena which preliminary sources have identified as Kadir Aldor, an alleged former SIU agent who had recently arrived on the station. C-Pat has not released the cause of death, but rumors persist that the several of the victim’s eyes had been cut out. He is believed to have been extensively tortured, and the body dumped out the airlock where it became caught in the station’s gravity - while this is far from the first attack of its kind on the station, it is one of the most violent in the past year. Natives to Cartegena say the victim was heavily involved with high ranking members of a local pirate band. 06/13/13 - Conspiracy Theorists Baffled by Lack of Criminal Activity at Blood Drive Conspiracy theorists across the galaxy were stunned yesterday when, despite rumors and disinformation campaigns insisting that there would be otherwise, no massive attacks or otherwise criminal activity occurred at the Citadel's Reaper War Memorial Blood Drives. There were no Sovereign Nation incursions, assaults by Reaper holdouts, riots, terrorist bombings, tainted blood conspiracies or Terminus-created nanoplagues deployed through disinfection swabs. Indeed, what was meant to be a massive display of galactic solidarity, goodwill and intent to assist those crippled by the Reaper War and its aftermath ended up being a massive display of galactic solidarity, goodwill and intent to assist those crippled by the Reaper War and its aftermath. Even groups maligned and suspected of planning attacks on the drive joined in. Individuals identifying themselves as members of Sovereign Nation came out en masse to donate blood at Citadel Space consulates, and the Hierophant's Children used the event as a last public meeting, donating blood en masse before publicly stating that they were ending their insurgent campaign against the Ad'Thoro Pact, taking advantage of an amnesty offer provided last week. Senator Hannid Vadarat, a member of the Orozvhadi consulate on the Citadel, has called the drive a stunning success and claims that he looks forward to next year. June 2013 – Week Four 06/19/13 - Over One Hundred Thirty Dead in Ship Disaster PALAVEN - A privately-operated turian spaceliner known as the “Tarius” suffered what appeared to be a drive core failure on approach to the Apien Crest's Farin II, resulting in the vessel's complete destruction . Communications between the ship and its destination reveal that it had entered deceleration between the system's fifth and sixth planets, and was preparing for final approach when a shortwave emergency signal was received by local authorities. Rescue patrol ships were sent out immediately, but recovered only two pods with a total of nine survivors from an expanding debris field. The “Tarius” was carrying 600 tons of cargo and 110 civilian passengers, along with a crew of 40. The survivors have been identified as two crewmen and seven passengers, two of them children. “The rescued persons are still in shock and are currently being treated on Farin II," said Hierarchy planetary official Kren Vageros. "All of them were in the same section and in close proximity to the rescue pods when the malfunction occurred. None of them could provide any detailed insight on the reasons for the disaster. Our prayers and thoughts are with the families of the victims.” Asked for possible reasons for such a catastrophic failure, an engineering expert on site noted that from first analysis of the debris, "this looks like a progressing drive core failure. There can be thousands of technical reasons for that. The ship was operated by a private corporation who has a good safety record. Everything else is speculation at this point.” Rumors about an attack or sabotage have been dismissed as groundless by Hierarchy officials. A formal investigation committee has been installed. 06/21/13 - MMA Fight Ends in Controversial Decision Irix Catiline, Gladiator Magazine The highly-anticipated GCS Super-Middleweight championship fight between Gerhard Cevak and defending champion Eulan Farix ended in controversy today when Cevak was named the winner in a split decision scorecard victory, despite Farix appearing to have dominated his opponent throughout the fight. Cevak started strong in the first round, pressing an aggressive offense on Farix and even scoring two takedowns. The champion then proceeded to keep his distance from the challenger, though, peppering him with counters and takedowns, and by the third round Cevak was suffering from cuts above his left eye and lip. The challenger made a strong effort in the fifth and final round to score a knockout, but it appeared to be for naught as the bell rang until the judges’ scorecard was revealed. While both fighters refused to comment on the decision, Farix’s trainer Taius Parlinax has condemned the judges for having “robbed” Farix of the title. “Very poor decision by anyone involved,” he said of the match. “Cevak does not deserve to think he’s the champ after this”. No word on a rematch has been set, though GCS President Taun Gen has stated that such a match would be “Reassuringly: Very likely.” 06/23/13 - Salarian Scientists Request Return of Exotic Equipment Representatives of the Zora Ke Institute of Applied Sciences released a statement earlier today requesting the return of the Dark Matter Convergence Circuit. Thanks to the device, constructed between 2176 and 2181, the Institute had been one of the premiere centers of study of the interaction of matter and dark energy. However, the Institute’s expertise and equipment - including the DMCC - was relocated shortly after the start of the Reaper War to be used by the Crucible Project. “The DMCC is a highly specialized piece of equipment”, Head of Research Nelan Jir was quoted as saying, “with no use for the reconstruction effort, but absolutely vital to continued research that may eventually prove of the utmost importance. We know for a fact it survived the firing of the Crucible undamaged.” The statement does not discuss the logistics of transporting the space station-sized device. At the time of this writing, representatives of the System Alliance have not issued an official response. June 2013 – Week Five 06/25/13 - Crime Spikes in Earth's Unorganized Areas. Alan Vurst, DW Intergalaktischen. For more than a year now, the governments of Earth have relinquished their authority over their regions, giving their place to the transitional government of the System's Allinace. The SA and it's controvertial rule over the human homeworld, as part of the swift recovery program, have reorganized the geopolitical makeup of Earth as the needs saw fit. Even after a year though, many uninhabited and sparsely inhabited areas have remained unorganised, with no military official responsible for neither local recovery or peacekeeping. This has given the opportunity for numerous criminals, gangs and other petty outlaws to find refuge deep in locations -like the Siberian Tundra, Central Asian Steppes, Central Africa and the Pacific Ocean- to set up their dens, organise themselves and send waves of looters, raiders and all kinds of criminals to isolated settlements and cause chaos. "They robbed the bank, the shops, they break into houses! And worst of all, they have guns! With the entire military might of the galaxy being here a year ago, no wonder these rascals have guns!" Says a citizen of Longyearbyen, Svalbard. "With the gold mines shut down for centuries, our only source of income was tourism. And now we have nothing. We are alone and forgotten but help isn't coming! There have been rapes for god's sake!" Says Maria, a woman living in La Rinconada, Peru. Alliance officials are claiming to have looked into the problem and are promising a quick solution, which will involve the creation of new districts as well as the organization of aerial patrols to remote locations. But as crime levels stay at a steady level in these forgotten areas, the only thing the people can do is wait for an end to be put to their struggles. Press Release from Skycar and Driver Lusia - The all-new TS-X is, first and foremost, a driver's skycar which combines the dynamics that have earned the TS a spot on "Skycar and Driver’s" top ten list for the 53rd consecutive year, with luxury seating for four and plenty of luggage capacity, as Veil Star announces. The TS-X variants will join the lineup this spring, the Lusian skycarmaker said in a statement. It's offered in two trim levels: society and activity. Typical Veil Star proportions, a maanru-like profile, arching roofline and large tailgate define its distinctive exterior character. A two-phase drivecore with a standard VI will make the TS-X easy to handle at skyway speeds Front and rear passengers benefit from a seating position that is 1.5 inches higher than the TS, which makes it easier to get in and out of the car. Practis: The fastest growing city on Palaven. Letrix Caxitus, PPC In an economic report issued by the hierarchy last week, the city of Practis is reported to be the fasted (re)growing city on the Planet in the past fiscal year. The city of Practis was widely known before the war as Palaven's shore leave heaven, with its beautiful location around a canyon, surprisingly high multicultural population, a bustling nightlife and gambling industry as well as the richest recreational amenities available in the region. A volus investment heaven, the beating heart of turian showbiz and it's continent's economy and home a big part of the Palavian elite. It was characterized as a small island of total freedom and wilderness amidst the strict norms of everyday life on Palaven and nicknamed as the 'Turian Las Vegas' by human visitors. The golden age of Practis would be no more after the War though. Practis' satellite settlement of Axpaer would be the site of a nuclear explosion; one of the events that led up to the Miracle of Palaven. Practis ended up taking a lot of damage. Many of the skyscrapers that made up it's beautiful skyline were completely flattened and most of those that did not fall, had to be demolished due to their instability. The unique ecosystem of the canyon around which Practis was built was damaged and most of the city's amenities were gone. This wouldn't be the end of Practis though. Soldiers kept flocking into the cities. The local government has relaxed the laws that restricted licensing for shops. As a result, numerous small bars, shops, casinos, amusement arcades and restaurants sprung up from the ruins of the city. This has brought a lot of income to the city, giving a kick to the reconstruction efforts and boosting the economy rapidly. "The spirit of our city will stay strong. It always has! Besides where will the boys go and blow of steam huh? Practis is one of a kind!" Says a local bar owner proudly. Though the rest of the Palavian cities are catching up to its recovery rate, Practis does not seem to slow down for a while. Stories like these give hope not only to the turians but everyone in the galaxy that things will be normal once again sooner than they thought. Breaking: Economic Summit on Terra Nova Attacked. Anton Schmidt, Westerlund News SCOTT - A tense standoff in Terra Nova continues into it's ninth hour today after a group has launched a massive armed assault on the annual Economic World's Summit, with several officials taken hostage including planetary governor Matthew Holiday. The group responsible has not yet identified themselves, only releasing a handful of demands to the armed forces outside of the convention hall. The demands include the immediate secession of Terra Nova from the Systems Alliance. As military dropships hover overhead, a spokesperson of a local protest group has denied his organization's responsibility or affiliation with the hostage takers. Please stay tuned to Westerlund News for further information. 06/26/13 - Pollution begins to mark its toil on Earth. Sinking Cities. Mohamed McAstor, IGBC. Humanity’s centuries-long history of industrial pollution is catching up to it. Recent environmental reports indicate that the sea level along world coastlines has risen two terran meters since the records we last taken before the Reaper conflict. Due to this rise, many historical coastal cities and regions have found themselves in danger. The implementation of state-of-the-art engineering solutions in cities like Venice, New York, Amsterdam and New Orleans have avoided imminent flooding in the recent past, but a great deal of this industrial infrastructure was heavily damaged during the Reaper conflict; the extensive dam networks and drainage systems of many of these cities have been either severely damaged or completely destroyed. Kinetic barriers have been keeping the water levels relatively stable but they consume immense amounts of energy and it not feasible to keep them running for much longer. Due to the old and outdated technology used in the dams, a complete replacement of the entire system was deemed necessary, something that has slowed down the reconstruction significantly. "The geth and other alien work teams are helping us a lot." Says one of the reconstruction workers in Bangkok "But still this is very difficult. We are making progress but weather or not we'll win the race against time is still uncertain." Officials deny the rumors of imminent barrier failures and state that the evacuation drill are only part of the protocol. Despite the reassurance, though, the citizens of these sinking cities live with a constant fear of drowning and are always on edge. Convoy Departs Benning for Elysium. by Meng Chao, Alliance News Network BENNING-Hundreds gathered to bid farewell to the one of the largest non-corporate interstellar convoys seen in Alliance space since the Reaper Crisis. Today, a convoy containing over eighteen naval and civilian vessels - and also bearing along the Sixteenth Frontier Regiment - departed from Joughin Spaceport for the isolated colony of Elysium. Once a tourist hotspot and a trade hub, the destruction of its Relay has left the colony cut off except for military QEC and relief convoys. the colony suffered large casualties during the Reaper War and extensive damage to its infrastructure, with large sections of the capital of Illyria reduced to rubble. Taskforce 453, under the command of Captain Alistair Farelli of the SSV Marie Curie, aims to change that. During the taskforce's 'slowboat' journey, an Ivanova Industries construction vessel will build refuel station and comm buoys along its route in order to re-establish contact with Elysium. Many have welcomed the choice of the Alliance to use Benning as its staging point for the taskforce. The planet's previously booming economy has taken a major hit after the destruction of Arcturus Station. The convoy, which includes a seven hundred metre industrial vessel carrying dozens of mining lasers, construction drones and hundreds of fabricators, has caused a large upturn in the aerospace sector. In addition to opening a slowboat route to the colony, the Sixteenth Regiment and four warships will be stationed at the planet, first signs of an expected military build-up in the area. The Marines will relieve the decimated Elysium garrison and assist in rebuilding settlements while the civilian construction ships and industrial vessels reconstruct orbital defences and facilities. The naval vessels are expected to be the first of a flotilla that will be permanently stationed in the system. Military analyst Donald Davis observed, "Previous defence doctrine is no longer feasible in the post-war galaxy. If Elysium is attacked, garrison forces must be sufficient to drive off attackers, rather than relying on reinforcements that are weeks away. This move shows that the government is willing to build a sustainable defence network that protects all planets of the Alliance, rather than relying on the hardpoints at Earth and Arcturus." In addition to military personnel and requested supplies, the convoy is carrying thousands of recorded vid messages from those with family and friends on the colony, many of whom haven't seen their loved ones since before the war, corporate representatives, reporters and consultants to advocate to the military government for the non-human minorities on the planet. 06/29/13 - Bliss Festival to Return to Tayseri. Treel Nahar, Tayseri Observer Celebrations and controversy are gearing up side-by-side on Tayseri following the joint announcement by Ward administrators and Bliss Festival organisers that the galactic adult entertainment exhibition is set to return. Although a ‘Virtual Bliss’ extranet event was held last season in collaboration with local events on Illium and Omega, this will mark the first full Bliss Festival since 2186. Organisers say the time is right for the Festival to resume its traditional place on the Tayseri event calendar. “The Citadel - wherever it may be physically located - is the heart of the galaxy,” Bliss organising committee chair Gena Atezea. “It’s only fitting that this festival, celebrating the vibrant and diverse sexuality that is at the heart of so many of our lives, should return here.” Tayseri Ward councilperson Aloci Spep, appearing at the announcement alongside Ms Atezea, emphasised the economic benefits the event would bring, and assured residents that the organisers were cooperating fully with authorities to ensure a trouble-free fortnight. C-Sec and SATAE’s Office of Border Security issued a joint statement of their own promising full diligence in passing the expected influx of attendees through Citadel and Earth customs, but inside sources have questioned whether Citadel customs workers, already under pressure regarding alleged lapses in standards, can cope with the extra workload. The customs controversy overshadowed the other big question hovering over Bliss Festival: public reaction to the premiere, announced today by Illium Entertainment, of the big-budget erotic film Citadel XXX 3. The previous film, in which the fictionalised ‘Commander Shepherd’ infiltrated and destabilised a Cerberus/Collector plot, was well-received by critics and audiences, but already criticisms are being levelled against the final instalment, which will take place against the backdrop of the Reaper War itself. IE has begun a pre-emptive publicity blitz in tandem with today’s announcement, with promotions on all major networks and extranet services playing up themes of unity and cooperation in the face of the Reaper threat. Category:Cerberus Daily News Articles